Senior Research Associate, Cell Modeling

Job Description

Job Description

The Allman Institute is a translational research organization applying personalized medicine to treat severe and historically difficult-to-treat diseases, beginning with pulmonary fibrosis and chronic lung transplant dysfunction. The Institute combines deep molecular profiling, longitudinal clinical data, and a pragmatic mix of mechanism-guided and large-scale empirical approaches to accelerate therapeutic discovery and translation.

We pursue an ambitious and pragmatic, modality-agnostic therapeutic strategy spanning genetic medicines, molecular and pharmacologic therapies, cell and immune-based interventions, and engineered biological systems, in close collaboration with leading academic and biotech partners across the U.S. and abroad. The Institute is established as a nonprofit, backed by substantial long-term capital committed directly to the mission. Where strategically valuable, we may pursue mission-aligned for-profit ventures, spin-outs, and partnerships to accelerate therapeutic development and patient impact.

We are a small but rapidly growing team of approximately 20, scaling to 40–50 over the next year across labs and offices in Redwood City, CA and Cambridge, MA, driven by scientific rigor, translational urgency, and a patient-anchored mandate.

The Institute is seeking a Senior Research Associate, Cell Modeling to build and characterize human cell models that underpin its therapeutic programs across gene therapy, drug repurposing, transplant, and lung regeneration. This role sits at the intersection of stem cell biology, genome engineering, and disease modeling, generating the iPSC-derived systems used to interrogate disease mechanisms and evaluate candidate interventions. The position is hands-on at the bench and central to the Institute's translational pipeline.

Responsibilities

Cell Model Development and Differentiation

• Establish and maintain iPSC and embryonic stem cell cultures under antibiotic-free conditions across extended differentiation timelines.
• Execute directed differentiation protocols into lung lineages and additional cell types relevant to active programs, including epithelial and supporting populations.
• Develop and optimize transcription factor-based and small molecule-driven differentiation strategies to expand the range of available cell models.
• Build three-dimensional and organoid systems to capture biological context not present in 2D cultures.

Genome Engineering and Cell Line Generation

• Design and execute CRISPR-based editing strategies to generate isogenic and disease-relevant cell lines supporting Institute programs.
• Introduce transgenes and edits using a range of delivery methods, including transfection, electroporation, and viral approaches as appropriate.
• Contribute to CRISPR screening efforts where the program requires for functional genomics readouts.
• Build genetically modified cell lines end-to-end, from design through clonal isolation and validation.

Characterization and Quality Control

• Characterize differentiated cells and engineered lines using qPCR, immunofluorescence staining, and additional molecular and cellular assays.
• Maintain rigorous quality control standards across iPSC culture, including karyotype, identity, and pluripotency monitoring.
• Document protocols, results, and deviations in a manner that supports reproducibility and cross-program transfer.
• Troubleshoot differentiation and engineering workflows when cell quality or assay performance falls outside expected ranges.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with program scientists across gene therapy, fibrosis, transplant, and regeneration efforts to deliver fit-for-purpose cell models.
• Coordinate with computational and AI colleagues to align experimental design with downstream analytical needs.
• Communicate results clearly to program leads and contribute to scientific discussions shaping next experiments.
• Support knowledge transfer of methods and models across the Redwood City and Cambridge sites as needed.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in cell biology, molecular biology, bioengineering, or a related discipline. Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum of five years of industry experience in cell biology, stem cell biology, or a closely related area.
• Robust hands-on expertise in iPSC or embryonic stem cell culture, including antibiotic-free maintenance over extended differentiation protocols.
• Demonstrated experience differentiating pluripotent stem cells into multiple lineages, with lung lineage experience strongly valued.
• Experience generating CRISPR-edited cell lines, including design, delivery, clonal isolation, and validation.
• Proficiency with transfection and electroporation, and comfort with multiple methods of introducing transgenes into cells.
• Strong cell characterization skills using qPCR and immunofluorescence staining.
• Demonstrated commitment to quality control fundamentals in stem cell work.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building three-dimensional or organoid models, particularly of lung or related epithelial tissues.
• Experience with CRISPR screening or other functional genomics approaches.
• RNA-seq experience, including sample preparation and basic interpretation of results.
• Familiarity with liquid handling platforms and laboratory automation.
• Experience with transcription factor-based differentiation strategies.
• Prior work in a translational or therapeutics-focused setting bridging discovery and development.

Location and Work EnvironmentThis position is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with primary work location in the Redwood City laboratory. The role is fully on-site, with daily presence required to support cell culture, assay execution, and instrument operation.About the RoleThis role is intended for someone who takes pride in building robust, well-characterized cell systems and recognizes that the quality of the model determines the quality of every downstream answer. The right person is comfortable working across multiple programs in parallel, fluent in both the craft of stem cell culture and the precision of genome engineering, and motivated by the prospect of seeing their cell models inform decisions in therapies headed toward patients with lung disease.